Monthly Archive for March, 2010

A Journey Towards Free*

Published on March 26, 2010 by Chris Bean in Campus Ministry, Faith, Gospel and Reconciliation.

Thousands of people around Cincinnati are participating in a journey with Crossroads Community Church in Oakley/Cincinnati. What they call their “all-church journey” this year is a series called “Free*” and it has been a great opportunity for many believers around the city to connect and be on the same spiritual page.

No piece of curriculum or teaching series perfectly meets everyone’s needs but they’ve certainly touched on a crucial life issue with this material. Many of us live out of brokenness and have our identity more shaped by that experience than by our experience with truth and the Gospel.

For me, the great lie has to do with my performance…comparisons…competition…fear of rejection and/or failure.

The great truth is this: In love, God has chosen us way ahead of time to be adopted into His family and that adoption has NOTHING to do with our performance (what we do) and EVERYTHING to do with trust (in what Christ has done).

 

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Theology Throwdown

Published on March 13, 2010 by Chris Bean in Campus Ministry and Coffee and Third Place.

At the Edge House we’ve been hosting a monthly Friday night conversation that we call the “Theology Throwdown.”

Typically, this “throwdown” is just an opportunity to host a conversation and discussion which has some sort of theological or philosophical flavor to it. So far we have tackled such simple issues as…

  • The Problem of Evil
  • The Two Natures of Christ (humanity/divinity)
  • Who needs the Church
  • The relationship/tension between faith & science

Last night was probably my favorite conversation to date. In addition to a good topic, we had an interesting mix of students who all contributed fabulous perspectives and experiences. Everyone’s input combined for a really rich mixture of interaction.

A highlight moment for me was when one of the students (coming from a very atheistic/pluralistic worldview) commented on his experience at the Edge House so far. He said something like this,

It’s cool to have someone say, “I’m a Christian…so let’s talk’ instead of ‘I’m a Christian…and you’re going to hell.”

The atmosphere of hospitality and faith discovery we are developing at the Edge House should continue to grow. I hope we’ll have many more conversations take place like that one!

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Book #4: Manna

Published on March 6, 2010 by Chris Bean in Campus Ministry, Faith and Finances.

Not sure if you can read the subtitle on this image, but it is “the call to daily dependence on God.”

That has been a challenging posture to thoroughly condition into the muscle memory of our lives. Of course we would always give lip service to the notion of trusting God for provision over the years, and have certainly seen God provide in amazing ways in our first 15 years of ministry. But it seems like we’ve entered some new territory lately.

Raising most of our support as we’re on mission to transform the lives of college students in Cincinnati is revealing some head trash, bad habits, and trust issues. This book was a helpful read for Debbie and I both as we become determined to trust God more than anything or anyone else.

One of our temptations has been to put our trust in the provision rather than in the Provider. Jesus didn’t really do us any favors when He taught us to pray for daily bread. That essentially means we are to live in a posture of constant dependence on God. At one point the author correctly points out “We enjoy provision. But we detest daily provision.”  Our materialistic and consumeristic culture does not submit easily to this Kingdom notion that God’s ability to provide far exceeds our ability to gather.

Some other quotes which caught my eye in this quick read…

God wants to teach us that His presence is what provides safety, not our resources.

Can we follow Jesus if it means abandoning a value system committed to accumulation?

Is enough for today enough for me?

As we continue moving further up and further in…on this journey of trust and transformation, I want to be much more mindful of the “manna moments” which God uses to teach me about His unlimited capacity as Creator and provider.

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